Definition

1. Noun:
   • Compassion: A deep feeling of sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering. It is a core human sentiment of empathy and concern.
   • Pity / Commiseration: A feeling of sadness or sorrow for the troubles or suffering of another person.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Cô ấy là người giàu lòng trắc ẩn. (She is a person with a rich sense of compassion.)
  • Câu chuyện đau lòng ấy khiến mọi người động lòng trắc ẩn. (That heartbreaking story stirred compassion in everyone.)
  • Anh ấy nhìn đứa trẻ mồ côi với ánh mắt đầy trắc ẩn. (He looked at the orphaned child with eyes full of pity.)

Advanced Usage

• "lòng trắc ẩn": This is the most common and complete form, literally "the heart/feeling of compassion." The word "trắc ẩn" is almost always used with "lòng" (heart, feeling) in modern Vietnamese.
  • Lòng trắc ẩn là một đức tính quý giá. (Compassion is a precious virtue.)

Variants and Related Words

• Thương xót (v): to pity, to feel sorry for. This is a verb with a similar meaning.

  • Bà ấy thương xót số phận của con vật. (She pitied the animal's fate.)

• Động lòng (v): to be moved/touched (often by compassion). Often used with "trắc ẩn."

  • Tôi không khỏi động lòng trước cảnh tượng đó. (I couldn't help but be moved by that scene.)

Synonyms

• Compassion: Sympathetic consciousness of others' distress with a desire to alleviate it.
• Pity: The feeling of sorrow and compassion caused by the suffering of others.
• Commiseraton: Sympathy and sorrow for the misfortunes of others.

Related Idioms

• Động lòng trắc ẩn: To have one's compassion stirred; to be moved to pity.
  • Nhìn thấy cảnh khó khăn của họ, ai cũng động lòng trắc ẩn. (Seeing their hardship, everyone's compassion was stirred.)